ITV1 sees off BBC One with Royal Variety Performance

by Darren Davidson, Brand Republic 10-Dec-07, 11:00

LONDON - Live performances from comedian Russell Brand, Seal and rock band Bon Jovi during 'The Royal Variety Performance' triumphed over BBC One's period drama 'Cranford' and 'Sports Personality of the Year' last night, according to unofficial overnight figures.

The show, which also featured opera sensation Paul Potts and pop stars James Blunt and Enrique Iglesias performing in front of the Queen, pulled in an average audience of 7.4m and a 27.2% share. The show was aired between 8pm and 10.30pm on ITV1.

Welsh boxer Joe Calzaghe walked away with this year's coveted 'Sports Personality of the Year Award' in a shock result on BBC One between 7pm-9pm. Last year, Calzaghe finished outside of the top three despite a good year.

The world super-middleweight champion beat Formula 1 rookie Lewis Hamilton by 55,000 votes, while boxer Ricky Hatton finished third in the public vote. The live awards were watched by 6.6m viewers and a 24.9% share of the audience.

BBC One followed the awards with its popular costume drama 'Cranford', starring Dame Judi Dench.

The one-hour instalment, between 9pm-10pm, drew 7.1m viewers and a 24.6% share of the audience.

Sandra Bullock movie 'Miss Congeniality' attracted 2.1m viewers and a 7.3% share on Channel 4 between 8pm-10pm.

On Five, Ridley Scott-directed film 'Black Hawk Down' attracted a modest audience between 9pm-11.45pm, with 1.1m viewers and a 5.9% share.